Patterns in our lives tend to be pretty reciprocal. I have blogged before about my struggle with weight loss. You can read more about those struggles
here and
here.
To make a long story short, I did not succeed in achieving my goal weight either time. I have blogged before about how important accountability is for me and yet the past two times I've undertaken this journey, I had very little accountability. I had a trainer that I met with a few times but it wasn't real accountability. My wife has been supportive but I often view her support as nagging (which always pushed me the other direction).
As I reflect back to the last time I had any real weight loss success it was when I was in college and had a friend start the
Body for Life program. There were 3 of us that started that program and none of us ever reached our goal weight. What we did have was accountability for one another. I went from almost 260 pounds to 225.
A few weeks back, my mother-in-law invited me to participate in a
Get-Fit Challenge starting February 1st and continuing for the next 12 weeks. I was hesitant at first, as my working out mindset has (often in the past) been one of the Lone-Wolf mentality. I quickly realized that this might be the best opportunity for me to achieve my weight loss goals. Since I am on a team with four others, my success isn't just my own but my teams!
The other thing that I did was join the
Biggest Loser Club.com I get a ton of free resources not to mention 3 Biggest Loser books for free!
So here's what my program (fusion of Biggest Loser, Body for Life and
Belly Off programs) will look like:
- cardio 6 days a week
- strength training 3 days a week
- 1 day of rest and recuperation
- 5 servings of fruits/vegetables daily
- 5 small portioned meals daily
- drink at least 32 oz. of water daily
- reduce daily caloric intake from 2500 to 1000
When I have my health screen this week, I will also post my data as well as a picture of me at the start of the journey. I cannot promise that I will always blog about this journey but I will give short updates along the way and post another picture of me on May 1st. Remember these first twelve weeks are the stepping stone, I don't expect to reach my goal in that time...
So here's where you come in. You are also going to be an accountability partner for me. Starting February 1st, check in on my blog from time to time and just post a comment on any weight loss related post for me to read. You can maybe share a little note of encouragement or motivational quotes or other websites to check out. Whatever you think will help me stay focused.
Most importantly, keep me in your prayers as I start this journey. I am 28 years old and right now am on track to become a Type II diabetic in the next decade which also puts me at greater risk of heart disease and stroke and other obesity related diseases. This is the third time in 5 years that I have tried to lose weight and get healthy. I hope that third time is a charm!
